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They've been talking about this for years... finally coming to fruition. It's not cool how they ran the church off of that land after they bought it first (fair and square). I guess the city couldn't generate any tax revenue off of the church property, so they pushed them out for this development. I live in Berkley, so this is right around the corner for me. This should be an interesting project to watch... if you've ever been to that area of South Norfolk, then you can tell it used to be a pretty hoppin' place (probably in the 50s, 60's).

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this is actually good news for that area, I really hope to see it have its glory days again that it once had.

So my question is how long before Chesapeake starts calling this their "downtown" or "urban core" of the city?

Seriously though, SoNo is a perfect location for this kind of urban development because it has the makings of a small urban town already, it just needed some help and money to get it back up and running.

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You're right; I've always felt that SoNo had that small town urban feel to it. It has never been really lifeless it just had a dangerous feel to it. Many of the streets that dead end at the river have a great view of DT and that's what I hope the developers use in their planning. Hopefully one day this area will have enough life to justify a ferry taxi to and from downtown and Harbor Park. Maybe even a tall pedestrian bridge over to the ball park. That would make it even easier for people to catch the train.

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You're right; I've always felt that SoNo had that small town urban feel to it. It has never been really lifeless it just had a dangerous feel to it. Many of the streets that dead end at the river have a great view of DT and that's what I hope the developers use in their planning. Hopefully one day this area will have enough life to justify a ferry taxi to and from downtown and Harbor Park. Maybe even a tall pedestrian bridge over to the ball park. That would make it even easier for people to catch the train.

It sounds like your talking about the Southside of Norfolk (Berkley, Campostella) rather than South Norfolk in Chesapeake. The area for SoNo deveolpment is along Bainbridge Blvd in Chesapeake. I think a lot of people confuse the 2 areas as one in the same. There are plans for the waterfront property in the Berkley neighborhood you're refering to though... a small park, pier, and boat ramp for access to the water.

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South Norfolk is getting its gateway. The Chesapeake City Council voted Tuesday to rezone the six-acre site that will become the Gateway at SoNo, a mixed-use, urban development at Poindexter Street and Bainbridge Boulevard. Developers are scheduled to break ground this year on the $50 million, multi-phase project, located on the site of the Big Pig Supermarket.

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I just went by the site and there is already equipment there. The site is cordoned off , there is a pile of dirt and pipes are laying on the ground. At the very least site work is underway (i'm surprised at how quickly this all started). I guess it's time to turn this into a progress thread.

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OMG that thing is awesome I see it every day headed over to 464! 3 high stories if anyone wants to know about the progress I'm like a mile from it. They're also building across the street from it a new location for Tidewater Staffing.

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OMG that thing is awesome I see it every day headed over to 464! 3 high stories if anyone wants to know about the progress I'm like a mile from it. They're also building across the street from it a new location for Tidewater Staffing.

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CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Just over the 464 highway ramp, something big is happening in South Norfolk in Chesapeake. The first mixed-use, mixed-income community dubbed "The Gateway at SONO".

"This project is the first ray of hope that we've had of a rebirth of our area," says SONO Woman's Club President Pat Miles.

The three story retail, commercial and condo space is the first of five areas of South Norfolk's redevelopment plan stretching from the waterfront to Campostella. Space in the area is up for sale, giving owners a greater stake. It's what community leaders like Miles have been itching for.

"Each year we'd say what are we going to do, what part of the community can we donate it to and this came up," said Miles.

The club bought the new heron fountain and two businesses have already moved in.

"We were excited...about expanding physical therapy services in the South Norfolk area. The only PT services are in Battlefield or downtown Norfolk, " said Jeff Hartline with Southeastern Physical Therapy.

Now the developer Jerry Harris would like to see homeowners living in the 15 lofts on top. With construction financing from the Virginia Housing and Development Authority, the lofts will offer special financing rates to first time home buyers.

Harris made sure everything at the building is done with the history of the community in mind.

"One of the reasons we painted the building was we caught some opposition, but one of the reasons is when you look around South Norfolk everything's painted, it's not a brick neighborhood," said Harris.

The community is finally getting the attention it deserves from a city looking ahead to the future.

"The city is studying the idea of offering facade grants to business owners along the corridor. It makes no sense for the city to invest millions of dollars on the streetscape and then have the buildings on the side of the street looking up to par," added Harris.

The Gateway development will expand soon to include another mixed-use building and five residential buildings.

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I like the mixed income aspect of Gateway @ Sono. The name sounds sweet too. This is adding population to the urban core of HR. Between South Norfolk, Downtown norfolk, Downtown Portsmouth, that population is rapidly increasing.